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Leadership Programme Cohort 12

barbara clyne.jpg

Postdoctoral Researcher and Honorary Lecturer 

I have a Masters in the Sociology of Health and Illness and was awarded a PhD as part of the HRB PhD Scholars programme in Health Services Research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in 2014. Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in The HRB Centre for Primary Care Research, RCSI.

My research focuses on methods to improve care for older patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy in primary care, incorporating social science approaches where appropriate. I have particular expertise in the design and conduct of randomised controlled trials. My doctoral research was a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a web-based information system designed to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing in older patients in primary care, with a mixed methods process evaluation. In my current role, I am involved in a number of experimental and observational studies broadly focused improving appropriate prescribing for older patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy including a large scale cluster RCT of a deprescribing intervention, the development of a core outcome set for deprescribing trials, and a pilot intervention involving practice based pharmacists working with GPs to optimise prescribing. I am also involved the conduct of a number of systematic reviews of the effectiveness of interventions.

In 2016, I was elected to be an RCSI postdoctoral representative, acting as a bridge between RCSI management and the postdoctoral research community.

 

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

tess harris.jpg

Reader in Primary Care and GP

I graduated from St George's University of London (SGUL) in 1988, completed GP training in 1992, worked in India on a primary health care programme, then gained an Epidemiology MSc (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) in 1994. I started at SGUL as a lecturer in 1994 (senior lecturer 2005, reader 2014).

Currently I am a Reader in Primary Care in the Population Health Research Institute, SGUL. I am a Primary Care Epidemiology Group (PCEG) member. I combine SGUL research and teaching activities, with part-time general practice at Sonning Common Health Centre, Oxfordshire.

My research specialty is primary care epidemiology. My MD (2005) examined depression, disability and service use by older people, linking survey and routine GP data. Currently I specialise in primary care trials and GP database research.

I am chief investigator for two NIHR-funded primary care pedometer-based walking RCTs in adults (PACE-UP) and older adults (PACE-Lift) which showed positive 12-month effects. Extended 3 and 4-year follow-up has just demonstrated persistent intervention effects, we have been adopted by our South London CLAHRC for implementation work, including testing online support and mobile apps. I am a co-investigator on a multi-site primary care trial using physical activity to reduce smoking (TARS).

Current primary care database work in collaboration with PCEG members focuses on: diabetes and infections; compression of morbidity; and pre-eclampsia/ pregnancy induced hypertension. Recent published work has examined healthcare use and health outcomes for learning disability patients (NIHR), care home patients (BUPA foundation) and partners following bereavement (Dunhill Trust).

 

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

Research Fellow 

I am a research fellow in systematic reviews and evidence synthesis in the Centre of Academic Primary Care (CAPC) at the University of Bristol.

I have seventeen years of evidence based health research experience spanning academia, health care consultancy and NICE guidance development and have worked within academic primary care for the last eight years. During this time I have been principal investigator or co-applicant on fourteen successful grants and have published over 17 high quality peer-reviewed papers.

I am currently involved in seven evidence synthesis projects, of which six are in the area of primary health care and three specifically on the older population. The majority of projects in my time at CAPC have been related to the older population and multi-morbidity although as a methodologist I have also been involved in a range of health services research projects e.g. supportive care for cancer and domestic violence

All of these systematic reviews draw on my expertise in evidence synthesis using quantitative, qualitative and mixed data methodology. All my reviews either directly contributed towards the evidence base and or inform the design of primary studies.

This body of work has involved supervising, line management and teaching of researchers both within the University of Bristol and in other universities

I want to be a research leader progressing to Senior Research Fellow in the next year and then Reader four years later with the aim of supporting the broader development of evidence based primary care research both within Bristol and beyond.

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

brian mcmillan.jpg

NIHR Clinical Lecturer (Primary Care) 

I am a NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Manchester. I also work as a GP at Wincobank Health Centre in Sheffield. Prior to this I was a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and completed my academic GP training in August 2016, having qualified with a MBChB from the University of Leeds in 2010. I am a Health Care Professions Council registered Health Psychologist and worked on a number of health related research posts after completing my PhD at the University of Leeds in 1998. Before this I obtained a psychology degree from Queen’s University, Belfast in 1993. My current research interests include the development of health behaviour change interventions for the primary care setting. I am interested in how technology can be harnessed for health behaviour change. My most recent publications have been concerned with quality assessment of health behaviour change mobile apps, and the development of an intervention aimed at reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes in women who have had gestational diabetes. I am currently designing a project aimed at examining how improved access to electronic primary care records can foster a more collaborative approach to primary care.

 

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

barbara nicholl.jpg

Lecturer 

I am a lecturer in General Practice & Primary Care at the University of Glasgow, Institute of Health & Wellbeing; I have been in my current position for almost five years. My research focuses on chronic pain and mental health epidemiology and management in primary care, a healthcare area of major individual and societal cost. I am currently involved with five funded projects, of which I am lead investigator on two, and Glasgow lead on a large EU Horizon 2020 grant. These projects focus on exploring multimorbidity and treatment burden using the UK Biobank cohort, development of a digital support tool for the self-management of low back pain, and on evaluating innovative musculoskeletal physiotherapy services in Scotland. I also lead and teach on the MSc in Primary Care, an online degree for professionals working in primary care. I have a supervisor load that includes PhD, MSc and BSc students across a range of primary care related topics. I am involved with wider Institute activities, including leading a working sub-group for our Athena Swan Charter. Before coming to Glasgow I held a Post-Doctoral Research Associate position at Keele University Primary Care & Health Sciences Research Institute, conducting an NIHR funded cluster randomised control trial investigating case-finding for depression and anxiety in patients with osteoarthritis. My PhD at the University of Manchester in the then named Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit, involved the development of a multifactorial causal model for chronic widespread pain, which I completed alongside my Research Assistant post.

 

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

Researcher 

Mariona Pons-Vigués holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, a Master’s degree in Public Health and a PhD in Health and Life Sciences. She is currently working as researcher at the Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAP Jordi Gol) in Barcelona (Spain) since December 2011. In this primary health care research institute, she is developing different activities: research, research consultancy and teaching ongoing courses for primary health care professionals.

She is member of the GRenSSAP (Research group on health services in primary care), a research group recognized by the Catalan Government, and of the Primary Care Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network (redIAPP), funded by the RETICS programme of Charles III Health Institute (Instituto de Salud Carlos III).

She has expertise in qualitative studies, quantitative studies and mixed-methods in the field of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Health Care. Her areas of research are health promotion and preventive activities, multimorbidity, complex interventions and social inequalities in health. In addition, she is a part-time lecturer in the Master on Health Promotion at Universitat de Girona.

At present, she will start as a senior researcher leading two important research lines that are crucial in the strategies of the IDIAP Jordi Gol: public involvement in research and integration social determinants of health into primary care research.

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

beth stuart.jpg

Senior Research Fellow 

I am a medical statistician and have been working in primary care for the past 7 years. A large part of my role is in providing advice in planning studies, writing grant applications, selecting outcome measures and measurement intervals, and in the data management and analysis of successfully funded studies. I ensure that studies have adequate statistical support, whether it is provided by myself or by someone in my team.

As a researcher, I am interested in getting the most out of existing data by applying appropriate statistical models, particularly through evidence synthesis and the use of large cohort data for secondary data analysis. My work involves applying statistical modelling techniques, such as latent variable modelling or propensity scores, to previously collected data in innovative ways.

I am also a member of the Cochrane Individual Patient Data (IPD) Methods group and am leading an IPD meta-analysis of prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections. I have just finished leading a study exploring clustering in individually randomised trials that was based on a synthesis of 10 years’ worth of primary care data.

 

Leadership Programme Cohort 12

sarah tonkin-crine.jpg

Health Psychologist and Senior Researcher

I am a Health Psychologist and Senior Researcher and have worked in primary care research since the start of my PhD in 2008. As a Health Psychologist I am interested in how people think about health and wellbeing, how we can influence and support people to adopt healthy behaviours and how we can support health professionals to carry out evidence-based practice.

I have worked on projects aimed at reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in primary care for 9 years. I have particular expertise in developing and evaluating behaviour change interventions. I am interested in changing the behaviour of patients, so that they consume fewer antibiotics, and the behaviour of clinicians, so that fewer antibiotics are prescribed. I also have expertise in qualitative methods and undertaking exploratory research with populations to find out why people behave in a certain way. My previous research has involved both primary and secondary analysis of qualitative data and triangulation of mixed methods data.

I am an expert member of the UK Government's Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Prescribing, Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (APRHAI) which provides practical and scientific advice to the government on minimising the risk of healthcare associated infections.